Abstract

This study reconceptualizes climate models as cultural and political objects of consumption rather than as neutral scientific forecasts. It argues that the uptake or rejection of climate models is mediated less by their technical validity than by the cultural logics through which individuals interpret them and the media frames that amplify these logics. Drawing on the cultural theory of risk and semiotic perspectives on meaning-making, the analysis segments responses into four orientations: fatalists, who disengage under apocalyptic framings; hierarchists, who resonate with institutional authority and ordered responses; individualists, who resist models perceived as threatening economic freedom or personal autonomy; and egalitarians, who embrace justice-oriented narratives that mandate collective transformation. These categories function as heuristic tools, recognizing that real-world responses are often hybrid and context-dependent. Media coverage plays a pivotal role in sustaining these patterned tendencies, transforming scientific models into contested cultural texts. By situating climate models within consumer culture, the study demonstrates how a cultural consumption lens can inform climate communication, offering pathways for more inclusive, audience-sensitive messaging that bridges ideological divides while advancing coordinated climate action.